Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a frameless filter, and more particularly, to a frameless self-lock filter configured for ensuring stable filter sealing performance, and an air cleaner using the same.
Description of Related Art
In general, an air cleaner for vehicles includes a filter that filters foreign matters contained in outdoor air and an air cleaner housing that secures the airtightness of the filter while forming an internal space for housing the filter. The air cleaner is connected to an intake system and disposed in an engine compartment.
The air cleaner includes an air cleaner cover which is opened or closed in a lid type (or general type) or drawer type, to replace a contaminated filter. The lid-type air cleaner cover may be separated from the air cleaner housing. However, the drawer-type air cleaner cover may be opened in a hinged door manner, to push and dispose a filter in the longitudinal direction of the air cleaner.
The filter includes a filter paper and a filter paper case. The filter paper is folded with air permeability and filters foreign matters contained in outdoor air, and the filter paper case keeps the filter paper in a predetermined shape. Depending on the coupling structure between the filter paper and the filter paper case, the filter is divided into a frame filter and a frameless filter.
For example, the frame filter has a structure in which a filter paper and a filter paper case are integrated, but the frameless filter has a structure in which a filter paper and a filter paper case are separated from each other. In the frameless filter, the filter paper integrated with a urethane sealing member is fitted to the filter paper case, and the adhesion between the filter paper and the filter paper case can be reinforced through an operation for fixed shafts disposed at both side surfaces of the filter paper case. Then, the adhesion between the filter paper and the filter paper case can be removed through the reverse operation for the fixed shafts, to separate the filter from the filter paper case.
The frameless filter includes fewer parts than the frame filter, and the filter paper case of the frameless filter can be reused even though the filter is replaced. That is, a new filter paper can be assembled to the filter paper case. Therefore, the reuse rate can be improved.
Therefore, the air cleaner may include a drawer-type air cleaner in which one of the frameless filter and the frame filter is coupled to the drawer-type cover and a lid-type air cleaner in which one of the frameless filter and the frame filter is coupled to the lid-type cover.
The drawer-type air cleaner has a mounting structure in which the frameless filter is pushed into the internal space along the longitudinal direction and the filter paper is lifted by rotating the fixed shafts in the clockwise direction or counterclockwise direction wherein a gap of approximately 1 to 2 mm between the urethane sealing member and the air cleaner cover is removed.
Therefore, the structural limit of the drawer-type air cleaner, in which the filter must be pushed into the internal space, inevitably has a disadvantage in that the structural rigidity of the frameless filter must be first guaranteed to ensure the airtightness of the urethane sealing member.
For example, when the structural rigidity of the filter is not ensured while the filter paper coupled to the urethane sealing member is fitted to the filter paper case and assembled into the filter, the bottom surface of the filter paper may locally come off the seating surface of the filter paper case. Due to such a local come-off, the urethane sealing member may not maintain a gap (approximately 1 to 2 mm) with the air cleaner cover but interfere with the air cleaner cover, while the filter is pushed into the internal space of the drawer-type air cleaner. In the present case, a filter deformation may easily occur due to the filter paper.
Furthermore, the filter deformation in the internal space of the drawer-type air cleaner cannot be recognized by an operator with the naked eye. Thus, the filter may be mounted in a state where the urethane sealing member is not normally seated in the air cleaner cover. As a result, dust introduced into the filter may be introduced into a portion which does not form a sealing surface, as well as the surface of the non-woven fabric (filter paper). In the present case, the drawer-type air cleaner cannot accomplish the basic efficiency and dust collecting performance.
Therefore, the structural limit of the drawer-type air cleaner may not only make it difficult to ensure the filter sealing performance, but also require an excessive attention of an operator when the filter is assembled or the air cleaner is mounted.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.